Gibson Explorer
Welcome to Music Street, your premier authorized dealer for Gibson Explorer guitars in the UK. Famous for its radical, angular body shape, massive mahogany sustain, and high-output humbucking pickups, the Explorer is an absolute icon of heavy rock and metal. Every Gibson Explorer we sell undergoes a rigorous, multi-point inspection and a custom, professional setup by our in-house luthiers in our Huntingdon workshop before shipping. Browse our curated selection below, or scroll down to read our expert Explorer Spotlight.
Explore Gibson Explorer at MusicStreet
Gibson 70's Explorer Electric Guitar - Antique Natural
USED - Gibson Explorer Gothic
USED - Gibson Explorer '90
The MusicStreet Setup Advantage: Why Your Gibson Explorer Deserves It
The Gibson Explorer is a highly expressive, structurally unique solid-body electric guitar. Because of its large, resonant mahogany body, set-neck construction, and substantial string tension, it is highly responsive to environmental changes. Shifts in temperature and relative humidity during transit can cause subtle movements in neck relief, saddle heights, and pickup balance. Additionally, the traditional Gibson 3-per-side headstock angle requires perfectly filed nut slots to prevent strings from binding and causing tuning instability.
At MusicStreet, we ensure your Explorer performs flawlessly from the moment you open the case. We perform a **complimentary £75 professional workshop setup** on every single Gibson Explorer we sell. Our expert luthiers adjust the truss rod, file the nut slots to eliminate tuning friction, set the bridge height and saddle radius for a comfortable low action, set the intonation, and polish the frets to ensure your new instrument plays like a dream straight out of the box.
🔧 Free £75 Professional Setup
Every Explorer is individually set up in our in-house workshop. We adjust the action, intonation, neck relief, and nut slots to match your playing style, ensuring it plays perfectly straight out of the box.
🛡️ 12-Month Warranty
We stand behind every instrument we sell. All of our Gibson Explorer guitars come with a full 12-month warranty, giving you complete peace of mind with your purchase.
🚚 Free UK Delivery & 7-Day Returns
Get free, fully insured UK shipping on all orders over £99. If the guitar isn't the perfect fit for your hands, return it to us within 7 days for a hassle-free refund or exchange.
Explore the Gibson Explorer Lineup
Gibson's Explorer lineup features a diverse range of models designed to meet the needs of modern technical players, vintage purists, and stage performers. Explore our core offerings:
Gibson Explorer Standard
The modern standard for heavy rock. The **Gibson Explorer Standard** features a solid mahogany body, a slim taper mahogany neck with a rosewood fingerboard, and high-output BurstBucker 2 & 3 humbucking pickups. Delivering a perfect blend of warm mid-range, tight low-end, and aggressive top-end bite, it is the ultimate stage-ready machine.
Custom Shop & Historic Reissues
The pinnacle of US craftsmanship. Handcrafted by the Gibson Custom Shop, these historic reissues replicate the exact specifications, materials, and aging techniques of the golden era, including rare Korina wood models. They offer collectors and professional touring musicians the absolute ultimate in vintage tone, feel, and aesthetic luxury.
Pre-Owned & Certified Used
Outstanding value for advancing players. We stock a constantly rotating selection of certified pre-owned Gibson guitars. Every used Explorer undergoes the same rigorous multi-point inspection and professional workshop setup as our new models. Explore our used range in our Pre-Owned Collection or view the parent Gibson Guitars collection.
Guitar Trade-In & Part-Exchange Program
Ready to upgrade your current electric guitar? We make it incredibly easy to trade in your pre-owned gear. Through our straightforward guitar part-exchange program, you can bring your old guitar, amplifier, or effects pedals into our showroom (or send us details online) and put its value directly toward any new or used Gibson Explorer in our store.
Visit Our Huntingdon Guitar Showroom
If you are searching for premium guitar shops in Cambridgeshire, come visit our showroom in Huntingdon. Located at 10 Chequers Court, our showroom features a dedicated electric guitar room where you can sit back, play, and compare different neck profiles and humbucker configurations side-by-side. We are easily accessible from Cambridge, Peterborough, and Bedford, with convenient parking nearby.
Frequently Asked Questions About Gibson Explorer Guitars
Why is a professional setup so important for a Gibson Explorer? +
The Gibson Explorer features a solid mahogany body and set-neck construction. Because of its large physical dimensions and substantial string tension, the neck is highly responsive to environmental changes. Additionally, the traditional 3-per-side headstock angle requires precise nut slot filing to prevent string binding, which is the primary cause of tuning instability. Our £75 professional setup ensures the nut slots are perfectly filed, the truss rod is calibrated, and the bridge is balanced to deliver rock-solid tuning stability and a comfortable low action.
What pickups are in the Gibson Explorer Standard? +
The modern **Gibson Explorer Standard** is equipped with Gibson's premium BurstBucker 2 (neck) and BurstBucker 3 (bridge) humbucking pickups. These pickups feature unpolished Alnico 2 magnets and are wound with slightly mismatched coils, replicating the legendary PAF humbucker tone with a slightly hotter, punchier output that is perfect for driving tube amplifiers into natural overdrive.
Is the Gibson Explorer comfortable to play sitting down? +
Yes, absolutely. Despite its radical, angular appearance, the Gibson Explorer is surprisingly ergonomic. When playing sitting down, the lower waist of the body rests comfortably on your right leg, while the large rear wing acts as a natural armrest, balancing the guitar perfectly and preventing neck-heavy tilt.
Can I trade in my old gear toward a purchase? +
Absolutely. We offer a highly competitive part-exchange program. You can bring your gear directly to our Huntingdon showroom for an on-the-spot valuation, or contact us online with photos and details to receive a preliminary trade-in estimate.
The Gibson Explorer: A Futuristic Masterpiece of Rock & Metal
Introduced in 1958 alongside the Flying V as part of Gibson's futuristic "Modernistic" series, the Explorer was decades ahead of its time. While initially met with skepticism, it was embraced in the 1970s and 1980s by hard rock and heavy metal guitarists who realized its radical shape was matched by an incredibly thick, powerful tone and massive sustain. From James Hetfield (Metallica) to Allen Collins (Lynyrd Skynyrd), the Explorer is the ultimate statement guitar.
Whether you are looking to buy a Gibson Explorer online or testing one in our showroom, these instruments deliver unmatched visual presence and raw sonic power.
Finding Your Perfect Gibson Explorer Model
Our collection features Explorers tailored to every playing style and aesthetic preference:
- Gibson Explorer Antique Natural: The classic. Featuring a solid mahogany body and neck, a rosewood fingerboard, and a gorgeous gloss nitrocellulose lacquer finish that showcases the natural grain of the wood. Equipped with Burstbucker 2 and 3 pickups, it delivers the perfect blend of vintage warmth and modern bite.
- Gibson Explorer Ebony: Sleek, dark, and aggressive. This model features a solid mahogany body finished in high-gloss Ebony, matching black hardware, and high-output humbuckers designed to drive high-gain amplifiers into rich, natural harmonic distortion.
- Gibson Custom Shop Explorers: The absolute pinnacle of craftsmanship. Recreating the rarest and most desirable vintage Explorers (such as the legendary 1958 Korina models) with microscopic accuracy, utilizing historic hide-glue construction and custom-voiced pickups.
The Anatomy of Power: Solid Mahogany & High-Output Pickups
The secret to the Explorer's legendary playability and tone lies in its bold, uncompromising design:
- The Massive Mahogany Body: The Explorer's large, angular body provides a massive amount of wood mass, resulting in incredible natural resonance, deep low-end response, and singing sustain.
- The SlimTaper Neck: Designed for speed and comfort, the mahogany neck features a fast SlimTaper profile and a smooth rosewood fingerboard, allowing your hand to glide effortlessly across all 22 frets.
- Perfect Balance: Despite its radical shape, the Explorer is incredibly well-balanced when worn on a strap, with the neck sitting at a natural, comfortable playing angle.
Why Buy Your Gibson Explorer from Music Street?
A high-performance guitar requires an incredibly precise setup to play its best. Because Gibson Explorers feature traditional nitrocellulose lacquer finishes and delicate neck angles, expert care is vital.
At Music Street, our in-house luthiers inspect and set up every Gibson Explorer before it leaves our Huntingdon workshop. We adjust the truss rod, set the bridge saddle height, check the nut slots, and fine-tune the intonation. This complimentary service ensures your guitar is comfortable, easy to play, and sounds its absolute best from day one.
